5 Easy Steps to Merging Duplicate Facebook Pages

Posted on Jan 6, 2012 by DeAnna to Social Media

If your company has multiple Facebook Pages or Places, you can easily merge these pages to combine ‘likes’ and check-ins. Whether you accidentally created duplicate pages when first starting your business page, or have a separate Facebook Page and Place, you can combine these all into one page on Facebook. I recently went through Facebook’s new process for merging pages and will walk you through these 5 easy steps to merging duplicate pages.

Note: Both pages or places must have a similar name before beginning.

Step 1: Whether you are merging a Facebook Page or Place, you must have admin access to both. If you are combining a Page and Place and do not have access to the Place page for check-ins, you will need to claim your Place Page first.

Step 2: Navigate to the Facebook Page or Place with the most ‘likes’. This is the page you will KEEP and will add the fans and check-ins from the other page to the page you will keep. The page with fewer likes will be merged into the one with more likes. *The page or place with the least ‘likes’ will always be removed and merged into the larger page, this cannot be combined any other way and cannot be undone.

Step 3: Click in the top right corner ‘Edit Page’. Then from the left hand navigation under ‘Resources’ click ‘Merge duplicate page’. *The ‘Merge duplicate page’ link will only show if you are the admin of 2 Pages with the same or similar name.

Step 4: A window will pop up with a list of pages to be merged that you admin. Click on the page(s) you wish to merge and click ‘Merge Pages’. *If you’re merging a Place and a Page make sure they have the same address.

Step 5: Another window will pop up confirming that you want to merge this page. It will also state that all wall posts, photos, videos, etc, will be permanently deleted. Now don’t worry, if you have gone through this process correctly you are good to go! The content from the page you are merging will be deleted, and the page you are keeping that you began this process through will remain. All fans and check-ins from the merged page will be added to your main page.

Step 6: Navigate to your main Facebook Page. The fan count should have increased and if there are any check-ins these will be added to your page.

Tags: facebook

Social Media Marketing Cheat Sheet

Posted on Nov 2, 2011 by DeAnna to Social Media

Whether or not you are new to social media marketing, having a cheat sheet always comes in handy! I have generated a list of resources I feel are useful for those who manage social media accounts, from the best social media news sites, to Twitter search operators, and social media tips and advice. Check it out below, or download the PDF for yourself or company here: The Social Media Marketing Cheat Sheet *Right click the link to download or click on images below to enlarge.

Feel free to leave a comment if this has been useful to you, or if you have any suggestions/additions. For even more social media assistance, see my previous blog post on creating a content calendar.

Tags: cheat sheet, facebook, social media marketing

Facebook Content Calendar Cheat Sheet and Template

Posted on Oct 14, 2011 by DeAnna to Social Media

In my previous post, The Secret to an Effective Facebook Page, I discuss the importance of having a content calendar to organize your social media strategy. To help you get started with this, I have put together a content calendar cheat sheet with all of the tips I feel are necessary to begin. The calendar cheat sheet covers everything you will need to get started with managing your Facebook content. Attached to the cheat sheet is a calendar template, feel free to use/edit this for your own social strategy.

Below is a one week example of a content calendar. Click on the image to enlarge.

Content Calendar Template: The following are items to be filled out in the content calendar template. You can edit these fields as you wish to better fit your needs. *See image above for example
Post Text: Your Facebook post, keep this under 420 characters.
Links: Place any links that may be inserted into the post.
Images: Where the image to be posted is located.
Notes: Keep any notes, or extra information you may need to know about this post here. You can also use this for any ideas for next month that may spark as a result of this post.

Optional Fields:
Comments: At the end of the month, go through and track how many comments your post received.
“Likes”: At the end of the month track how many “likes” your post received. Comparing the results of interaction from fans per post is a good way to see which posts fans respond to best.

You can download the ‘Cheat Sheet’ and ‘Content Calendar Template’ here. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or leave some of your own suggestions for managing your Facebook content!

Tags: content calendar, facebook

Baidu Making Gains

Posted on Sep 19, 2011 by Taylor to General, Technology Trends

“…hundreds and thousands of times, for her I searched in chaos, suddenly, I turned by chance, to where the lights were waning, and there she stood.” This search, depicted in an 800-year-old poem, is successful – and the inspiration for a relatively new China-based search engine, Baidu. “Baidu” means “hundreds of times.” It also means huge success for China in the search industry.

Baidu is trading at absurdly high prices, and Robin Li, CEO and China’s richest man, saw his substantial wealth (estimated at $3.5 billion in 2010) double when Google was forced out of China. His little search engine is doing well, too; first quarter net income rose to $164.6 million – an increase of 123 percent. First quarter revenues grew by over 88 percent to hit $372 million. Google, by comparison, saw first quarter revenues of $8.58 billion, but Baidu is no doubt up and coming.

Which stars aligned to give this search engine such incredible growth? Google is a big piece of the puzzle; after refusing to conform to Chinese governmental search restrictions, Google moved out of China, allowing the burgeoning search industry to bloom for Li’s company. There is virtually no competition.

Li says, “Search just became the most popular application for Chinese internet users, and there is still a lot of growth to expect for many years down the road.”

There are also rumors that Facebook may be moving into China and striking up a partnership with Baidu, although this is still very much in the speculative stage. Banned in China since 2009, Facebook would operate under China’s rules, which would almost certainly clamp down on political and social discussion (and criticism), which is the order of the day in the US and many other countries.

All of this has translated into more revenue, growth, and prestige in the fiercely competitive search industry for Baidu.

Tags: facebook

Google Taking On Social Media with Google+

Posted on Sep 4, 2011 by Joey to Social Media

Google’s Eric Schmidt admitted that the search giant didn’t concentrate enough effort in the social arena as Facebook grew into a juggernaut of likes, friends, and fans. Schmidt is hoping that Google+ changes that and gives Facebook more competition for a piece of the social pie. Google+ is currently an invitation-only “project” but it is catching some great early buzz. What is Google+ about?

According to the official Google blog announcement for Google+, “Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools. In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it.”

They “aim to fix it” with these core elements: Circles, Instant Upload, Huddle, Sparks, and Hangouts, each of which is designed to facilitate social interaction and networking. Circles, for instance, allows you to group friends and family to make sharing certain information easier. Hangouts allows you to let your friends know you are hanging out online and they should “stop by” and say hi.

Principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, Greg Sterling, says that there is great initial demand for the service, which is currently limited to a small number of invitees. “Some of the people using Google+ are super enthusiastic. Some of their enthusiasm is not exclusively a reaction to the Google+ product but a statement about the desire for a viable alternative.” One alternative that Google+ offers is the ability to have easier private conversations with groups. Facebook’s “group” option is rather limited and clunky at this point, so this is a boon for social media users.

Facebook isn’t sitting idly by. A spokesperson said, in response to the release of Google+, “We’re in the early days of making the Web more social.” They have launched a Skype-Facebook alliance to allow for video chat. But even this is seen as too little by many experts. Google+’s Hangout allows groups to chat, and it’s free. Facebook’s version is one-on-one for now because Skype charges for group chat. It seems Google has the leg up in that respect.

Even though Google+ has had a limited release thus far, it is clear that Google may have finally stumbled upon an effective social solution.

Tags: facebook, google

UFC Brings Social Media into the Octagon

Posted on Aug 20, 2011 by Taylor to Social Media

If there is one businessman who not only understands the importance of social media, but is able to leverage it, it is Dana White. White, the current president of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) uses Twitter and Facebook to promote his organization but, more importantly, to interact with fans. Under his watch, the UFC has become the second strongest sports presence in social media (beat out by the NBA). What is White doing right – and what can you learn?

UFC has moved comfortably into the mainstream, and in addition to TV spots, fight fans can catch bouts on pay-per-view. To take advantage of the audience, and to build an even larger one, UFC decided to broadcast live events on Facebook. The first pro sports league to do so, this broadens the reach of an already international brand to 650 million users. Some more stats:

The UFC has 5.8 million combined Twitter and Facebook fans, not counting individual fighters’ accounts, Spanish-language accounts, or White’s 1.46 million followers. Part of this stems from their traditional fan base, but part is also due to the reach they have achieved via social media. They have taken fighting out of the Octagon and put it into mainstream America. “Everything is for tomorrow. Our Facebook page has grown unbelievably since we started putting up fights on it. And what happens is you end up turning more fans onto it, and you continue to grow your fan base and build your brand. You educate people about the sport and get more people talking about it, which is vital.”

White recently spent nearly a quarter million dollars on a social media incentive program for fighters to develop their skills in the social media world. White also points out that it provides retiring fighters with a strong presence and continued fan base that is important as they pursue other careers. Other initiatives White has employed:

• Weekly video blogs on YouTube.
• Letting Facebook fans “like” the page and then watching live fights.
• Training UFC fighters how to use Twitter effectively and creatively.
• Responding in real-time to consumer complaints. White says, “Now, as these things are happening, I have people running around fixing all the problems that are happening that I’m reading on Twitter.”

So, say you have a business that tens of millions of people do not tune in to watch. Does any of this apply to you? You can’t really stream “Live from My CPA Office” on YouTube and expect hits. But you can do other things that White does:

• Offer your audience information (or entertainment) that is relevant to them. White ups the ante by providing live fights and video recaps. This may not be applicable directly to your business, but think about how you can enhance content, whether it is by adding updated news features or by connecting with a Twitter feed.
• Set up the profiles – and use them! White regularly interacts with fans via Twitter. He keeps them updated on UFC news and events.
• Respond to your audience. Good or bad, respond to people. Social media is about interaction. Dana White may be fielding questions about who is going to coach the next Ultimate Fighter. You may be fielding questions about why your pizza is the best or if you use organic products in your business. Whatever it is, respond and contribute to the dialogue.

Tags: facebook, twitter, UFC, youtube

Google vs. Facebook: Which is More Important for Consumers?

Posted on Aug 12, 2011 by Joey to General, Technology Trends

Even if Google and Facebook felt no inherent rivalry towards each other, the world has set them at odds. Every move that one makes is seen as an advance on the other’s territory. Google’s +1 button is their counter to Facebook’s Like. Facebook is trying to take over search. Inevitably, it all comes down to money – and where consumers are likely to spend it. A new study by GLG Research finds that Facebook has had very little impact on Google as far as consumer purchases are concerned. What else did their study uncover?

One of the predictions making the rounds is that people would start to turn more to friends for product information and recommendations, rather than searching for it on their own. This hasn’t really turned out to be the case. According to GLG, only 1 percent of the people surveyed say they ask Facebook connections about products. Further, only 3 percent of Facebook users report that they use Google less because of the social networking site.

On the other hand, 17 percent say that they actually use the world’s largest search engine more because of their Facebook use. Analysts say that asking friends and connections can be unreliable because who is to say they know what they’re talking about? Say you ask whether sour cream or cream cheese is better in goat cheese cheesecake? How many of your friends have actually made, or eaten, goat cheese cheesecake? Turning to Google in this instance, and countless others, makes more sense because you can access more information and expert knowledge.

As unwilling as some are to concede this, maybe there is room in the internet world for two giants.

Tags: facebook, google

The Secret to an Effective Facebook Page: Create a Content Strategy

Posted on Aug 11, 2011 by DeAnna to Social Media

Some Facebook business pages simply ‘shoot from the hip’ with their status updates, in hopes that it will catch the attention of their fans. The secret to having an effective Facebook business page, is to have a strategy. This is where a monthly content calendar comes in handy.

Facebook is a social network, and your page needs to have consistent social interaction in order to be successful. Posting consistently, with fresh content, will engage fans and attract new fans to your page. To help you manage this stream of information, take time at the beginning of each month to create a content calendar that records every new post for the month. Sure, there may be days where you will want to veer from the strategy, but having a guide will enable you to easily manage your page and maintain fan interest.

1. Set-up a Calendar. You can use whichever program you feel most comfortable using, I prefer to use Microsoft Word which offers some nice calendar templates for this.

2. Post Frequency. Decide how many times a week/day you will post.

3. Theme/Category. Decide on a theme or category for each day you are posting. It can be easier to formulate post content when you have a consistent theme for each day, for example, maybe on Monday you will post your weekly specials, Tuesday you will post an insider look at the company through a photo or video, Wednesday you will post a relevant article, or Thursday you will engage your fans with a poll.

4. Write Your Posts. Formulate all of your posts for the month, or at least as many as you can in advance, with the post text, any link that will be incorporated, or media content such as video or photos.

Here’s some content ideas to get you started:

• Photos/Videos
• Create a Facebook event
• Offer a Facebook Fan special
• Link to relevant articles, blogs, or press about your company
• Ask your fans questions using the ‘Questions’ App

Content Calendar Tips:

• Try to keep posts short. Facebook allows you to have 420 characters per post, but try not to always max this out, keep it to the point.
• Post relevant content. Don’t post for the sake of posting an update.
• Give Fans an Insider Look. Facebook Fans want more than to just know what sale you’re having, or any promotion you are preparing to push. They want to feel like they have insider access that they wouldn’t have if they weren’t a fan. Keep this in mind when formulating content, discounts, etc.
• Posting Amount. You can post 5 times a day or once a day, it all depends on how much relevant content you have and how your audience reacts to these posts. If you’re posting twice a day and not receiving very much feedback, it might be time to trim back the postings and maybe re-evaluate your content.
• Track Your Results. Keep an eye on the history of your posts feedback via “likes” and “comments”, this will enable you to see which content is best received and which should be eliminated for the next month. Evaluate your posts at the end of each month.
• If you want to fully map out your monthly strategy, try using one of these tools to schedule your posts in advance at a specific date and time: HootSuite, Sendible, or TweetDeck
• Facebook offers a free PDF with content calendar help and examples.

For further content tips see Community Baiting

Tags: community baiting, content calendar, facebook

How to Deal with Negative Feedback on Facebook

Posted on Aug 8, 2011 by Rick to Social Media

In managing social media profiles, one of the biggest client fears which we come across are related to how negative comments and criticism should be handled on social networks. For example, what should a company do when a facebook ‘fan’ posts something negative on the company wall?

Most negative comments are related to poor customer experiences. These comments are made by customers who have probably purchased your product/service, are unhappy with what they got, and have not yet been able to resolve the issue so they’ve turned to facebook to get resolution.

As I see it, there are three options to deal with negative comments on facebook and other social networks:

Option 1: Delete the negative comment and block the user

Facebook provides business page managers the option of erasing comments and blocking users. This means that their comment disappears and also that they cannot return to the page. This is the most harsh reaction of all three of our options and is rarely recommended except when comments are offensive to other users.

• Advantages: Comment is hidden from other fans and user cannot come back to post additional comments.
• Disadvantages: User may become more upset and post bad press about your company on other Web outlets such as forums, business review websites and other social networks. Remember, a happy consumer tells 3 people and an unhappy consumer tells 9! While this option is appealing in the short term, the long term repercussions can be much harder to control.

Option 2: Delete the negative comment

As a facebook business page administrator, you also have the choice to simply remove a comment, without blocking the user. There are legit uses for this when comments are irrelevant or spammy.

• Advantages: Comment is hidden from other fans
• Disadvantages: Same as option 1 except that your fan may come back and add another comment in the future

Option 3: Be Transparent

The last option, and the one we typically recommend, involves leaving the negative comment posted and replying in a concerned way with intent to correct the problem and appease the customer. This is typically recommended to avoid the negative side-effects of Option 1 and Option 2, while also showing other fans that your business is committed to keeping customers happy.

• Advantages: Negative publicity can be turn into positive publicity by publicly turning a disgruntled customer into a happy one
• Disadvantages: Not every customer can be pleased. However, making a sincere attempt can go a long way.

In the end, transparency (Option 3) is typically recommended as it is preferred to deal with criticism in a semi-controlled environment (like facebook), as opposed to having to deal with angry and motivated customers who may post the same negative comment in several other places where you as a business owner have less control.

Tags: facebook, reputation management

France Says No to Twitter and Facebook on TV

Posted on Jul 26, 2011 by Joey to General, Social Media

In 1992, France passed a governmental measure that forbids news programs to promote commercial enterprises on the air. This is to prevent “secret – and unfair – advertising.” The government specifically called out Facebook and Twitter, prohibiting news anchors from mentioning those words unless they were specifically part of a story. No “follow us on Twitter” plugs here.

This is in great contrast to the United States, where every television show, movie, product, brand, and celebrity is always inviting us to follow them on Twitter or like their Facebook page. What can news anchors say to connect viewers with social media (since this is where more and more people are actually getting their news rather than tuning in at 7:00)? “Find us on social networking sites” or “check out website to find links to social networks.”

The French TV regulatory agency, the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) says they are simply upholding the law, adding, “Why give preference to Facebook, which is worth billions of dollars, when there are many other social networks that are struggling for recognition? This would be a distortion of competition.”

While the CSA feels they are just doing what they have to under the letter of the law, British-Canadian journalist, Mathew Fraser, says that they are obsessed with “legalistic codes and decrees” that are typical of the “Kafkaesque nightmare” that is the French bureaucracy. French bloggers tend to agree. Loic Le Meur says, “French regulation forbids TV networks to say Facebook or Twitter? My country is screwed.” Another noted that this gives Americans “yet another reason to laugh at France.”

Americans aren’t laughing, but they are wondering. Why can’t news organizations promote their online content since, again, that is where more of the population is receiving news? Ian Crouch writes in a blog post for the New Yorker: “Sending one’s audience out wandering in the woods of the Web – ‘look for us on whatever social-media site you prefer to use, we might be there’ – has never been good for the bottom line, or for the news media’s other business of informing the public.”

Image Source Source 2

Tags: facebook, twitter